Time Heals All Wounds
by werechick
Summary: ::Work in Progress:: Cho decided to join Dumbledore's forces after Cedric died. Soon after, an accident changes the course of her life forever. Now she's has to answer the question: Is it ethical to change the past? L/J, R/C, C/C
1. Genesis

**__**

Cho's POV

"I can't believe I'm here." I thought, dismounting my sleek elm wood broom. I had always figured that if I were at Cedric's funeral, I would be in the coffin beside his, a group of our children mourning us. Now those children would never be. I tried to stop from crying. "Be strong," I told myself. What a load. 

I walked slowly into the building, my heels clicking lightly on the pavement. Cedric used to joke about how those shoes had been our matchmaker. He said that if I hadn't been wearing them my first day at Hogwarts, my short figure would have been lost in the crowd. Now I wished I hadn't worn them at all. Without Cedric, I just don't feel right.

The building was a sea of black, and of mourners. I wasn't even noticed as I slipped in, which I suppose was good, because I was in no mood to talk. Then I saw all the mirrors, each one covered in black. I never knew the Diggorys were Jewish. I never got a chance to know. "Be strong," I thought again.

At the end of the room was the casket. It was open, so that even from where I stood, I could see him. I could hold the emotion in no longer. Screw being strong, I thought, running towards the casket. Standing beside his silent body, I broke down and cried, banging my fists against the heavy oak coffin. "Why?" I pondered aloud and in vain, searching for an answer and half-heartedly expecting Cedric to sit up and reply. Then I prayed for my love to be alive, for all of this to be just a horrible nightmare I would soon forget. I don't even know who the hell I expected to answer my prayers, I never really believed in any religion or god. I just wanted Cedric back.

Harry gripped my shoulder firmly, and turned me around to face him, bringing me back to the harsh reality with a start. "Why are you here? ", I asked, and then regretted I had.

"I... I... I... wanted to ask you..." was all he could stutter out before my fist met his nose with a sickening thud and the crack of broken cartilage.

I couldn't believe he even did that! The horny little prat just shows up at Cedric's funeral and tries to ask me out? Jeez! Does he think I some kind of slut that would just leap into his bed and make passionate love to him or something? Ticked off didn't even begin to describe how I felt. I was about to hex Harry into the fifth dimension when a hand brushed my shoulder, and a voice advised me to take a walk.

It was Prof. Dumbledore. "Albus." I corrected myself aloud; we are both grownups.

"What is it, Miss Chang?" he enquired, his light blue eyes sparkling in their trademarked way; full of light yet so much depth.

I was surprised at his reaction. I didn't expect to have him reply, I didn't think I had even said it aloud. But I was, after all curious. "Why did you take me to this place?" I asked, gesturing to the beautiful park where he had led me.

"You would've turned Mr. Potter into the boy who died." he said, and then chuckled at his own joke.

"He would've deserved it." I quickly replied. After all, even the thought of impaling him with a Quidditch goal didn't sound bad at all. Hey, I wasn't picky.

"I can assure you Mr. Potter had no intention to hurt your feelings," he said softly, his eyes full of sincerity and kindness.

"So he hit on me at my boyfriend's funeral?" I snapped back. "How could he dare defend Harry?" I thought to myself. I couldn't even look Albus eye to eye, so I stared at the swing to his right.

"He wasn't hitting on you." he replied.

"Sure he wasn't. And Prof. Flitwick likes girls." I shouted back, and laughed. I didn't know anyone who was naive enough to believe he was straight.

"Although I cannot attest to Filius' sexuality, I can say with the utmost certainty that Mr. Potter was not hitting on you," he said.

"How do you know?" I asked.

"Because I sent him to ask you to join me in the battle against the newly arisen Lord Voldemort." he said, people apparatating all around him. I recognized a few of them. Remus Lupin, Severus Snape, and... SIRIUS BLACK!

"Albus! Sirius Black is behind you!" I shouted at the top of my lungs.

Albus turned around slowly. "Oh. Hello Sirius." he said to the raven-haired bastard.

To which the cocky little Satan-In-Training replied, "Hi Albus, beautiful out day, isn't it? Judging by the look of horror etched on the lovely Miss Chang's face, do you think she might like a bit of an explanation?"

"Erm... yes, I suppose so. Remus? Would you be so kind as to explain the situation to her?" Albus said, pulling the retired Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor towards me.

All I could think was screw it, this must be a dream anyway, so I stepped forward and spoke. "Yes, please Remus, do explain." I said, wondering what kind of disturbed explanation he might have to offer.

"Umn... yeah. You know I'm a werewolf, right?" I nodded, Snape had kind of told the whole school after all. "I know this is hard to believe, but back in the day, Sirius, Peter Pettigrew and Harry's dad James were best buddies and they found out about my..." I listened to him explain things to me, from the animagi part to the Whomping Willow incident to Peter's betrayal, and on, past Sirius' escape. I was completely amazed. "If this is a dream..." I thought, "...then I have a really good imagination."

"So Sirius isn't really the boggy man under my bed?" I said, sarcastically, daring him to answer me. I was shocked beyond belief when he actually did.

"Huh?" Remus said, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Just say yes, Remus. The look of utter stupidity is not flattering on you." Albus not so softly whispered.

"Umn... I suppose yes," he said, hesitantly, almost expecting to be laughed at.

Well, I thought to myself; this seems a bit real for a dream. I pinched myself. "Ouch, god damn it!" So this is real. Terrific. Just bloody terrific.

"Now that you have confirmed this is no dream..." said Albus. Lord, you'd think he could read my mind. "...Will you kindly join us in the war on the dark..."

"...Farts!" Sirius finished. "Whoops, I meant arts, really Albus, I did." he added, while trying unsuccessfully to look innocent in front of the older man. God I hate it when a forty-year-old man acts a tenth of his age.

"Sirius! Can't we have one serious moment?" shouted Snape, his beady little eyes twitching, and his eye brows pointed in a look of absolute contempt.

"Of course not, _I'm _Sirius!" replied Sirius, his eyes full of childlike fury.

"Did I mention that I really hate immature forty year olds?" I thought to myself, pondering what Sirius Orion Black would look like in a bib.

"Miss Chang, will you help us, please?" asked Remus, utilizing his puppy eyes, which were of course, incredibly good, which figured, since after all, he gets more practice then most people do.

"Of course, Remus." I replied promptly. "How could I not help? I mean Cedric was everything to me. Voldie is going to regret he ever messed with me!" I thought to myself. "Where do I sign?" I said aloud.

"Right here" said a man I recognized as Mundungus Fletcher, and he quickly tossed me a quill and a parchment that was headed "We are not responsible for any death or devastating injury you may sustain while working for us.... you will not be paid, however you will be allowed access to all the Oreos and milk money can buy..."

"What the...?" I shouted. If this was his sick idea of a joke...

"Gotcha! You don't really have to sign anything." Mundungus blurted out. God it's so damn easy to hate him whenever he opens his oversized mouth. And his god-awful fashion sense didn't hurt, thinking about the red and green pants which, of course, were three sizes or so too large and the West Ham t-shirt he was wearing.

"Hah, ha. So funny." I was livid. And they wonder why people switch to the dark side.

"Mundungus get a brain and act your shoe size. I mean; she's already having a really bad day. I mean, she just got here from her boyfriend's funeral." said Remus.

"Thanks, Remus. You have reassured me that some men actually do have brain cells that _aren't _in the southern hemisphere of their bodies." I said, and then winked at him.

"Anytime, Miss Chang." Remus said, his eyes full of wonder and half admiration.

"Call me Cho, really, it's ok." I said. "I'm not a student anymore." He nodded silently.

"Albus?" I called out to the old man.

"Yes?" he replied, his silvery locks reflecting the moonlight well.

"What can I do to help?" I enquired, as I was very anxious to start repaying the Death Eaters for what they had done to Cedric and for what they had done to everyone else, for that matter in their pathetic attempt to take over the world. At times, those dark dolts reminded me of a muggle cartoon in the states; "Pinky and the Brain" I think it was called. A couple of mice tried to take over the world nightly. But Lord Voldemort was a lot more powerful than a couple of dumb mice. 

"Go home, and sleep. You can help us later. As for now, you are in no emotional condition to go out and battle Lord Voldemort," said Albus wisely, a twinkle in his eye.

"But tomorrow, you can report to the dungeons and assist Professor Lupin and myself" said Snape. "Be there at eight sharp. Or else." he said, snarling at me, his black eyes giving off some sort of liquad hatred of anyone that didn't happen to have a snake on their pristine gray uniform.

"Really Severus, was that needed? I mean, she _is _volunteering after all," said Remus. "Anyway, who died and made you king of the world?" Remus said, then smiled.

"Thank you very much, Remus, but really, I can defend myself. I'm a big girl after all." I said. "And Snape, I'll be there with bells on at eight."

"Severus, I never knew you were so kinky..." said Mundungus, whom I had already lost any and all respect for.

"And I never knew a small mind such as your own could hold so much filth." I shouted back, and caught him off guard.

Mundungus was totally shocked. The bottom of his toothless jaw actually hit each and every grain of sand in the sandbox. Severus looked pleased, as if Christmas had come early for him, and Santa had landed on the still burning fireplace. God, I could live Albus' age and still not understand his warped little mind. Remus grinned, his eyes full of a childlike quality I had never seen before in a grown man, not in an immature fashion, but in a way that almost made me want to hug him. Albus just smiled and twirled his long beard around his finger. And I smiled too, for the first time that day as I left the park and headed home.


	2. Exodus

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A/N: The phrase "Snape in his mum's clothing" is used and will be used several times in this fiction, so get used to it. It's all because of the Bogart-Snape-Dress-Lupin thing in PoA, and now it's considered a swear in the wizarding world.

And yes, we have Remus in muggle clothes. *Giggles*

Sorry for lazy people, but I referenced another fiction of mine in here (The Last Day) to get this fiction, you now have to read another of my fictions. Moooohahhahah! It's a plot to get you to read them all... but it's okay, TLD is a one shot...

Cho's POV 

I went home that night feeling angry, yet as though half of my burden had been relived just my being there to see Cedric laid to rest. Hey, even I'll admit, volunteering to kick serious Death Eater bum helped. I'm not normally overwhelmingly violent, but they will really wish they never messed with Cho Yuki Chang by the time I'm through with them. It was just something I owed it to Cedric's memory, as well as all the great memories we had together. I just wasn't going to walk happily into the sunset hand in hand with him, like in so many of those idiotic romance movies. For me, the sun has set and the hand is cold and lifeless.

I stepped into my small apartment. Immediately I was confronted with an amazing array of flowers. I set my Cleansweep aside and reached for a rose colored envelope labeled "Darling." It was from Cedric. "Happy Birthday, Love" he had written in gorgeous silvery ink. It's my birthday, I remembered. He must have had this sent in for months ahead of time. I smiled. That's Cedric. Just when I think he's done, he surprises me once more. A tear ran down my cheek, followed rapidly by another. I slowly set my alarm to six a.m., and drifted off to sleep.

I dreamt I was floating up on a cloud, and that as I was moving higher and higher up, I saw more and more clouds. I saw Grandma Chang and Grandpa Chang, smiling and waving at me, telling me how proud they were of my latest report card, and my accomplishments as Head Girl. A man with messy black hair stood up upon his silvery cloud beside a woman with brilliant green eyes. James and Lily Potter, I realized. They smiled and told me that Cedric was ok, and that everything would be ok. "Just keep trying," said Lily, her arm around James. "Just keep trying." 

Then I saw him; Cedric Rueben Diggory. Had had a cloud of his own, high above the rest. It was green, with lots of springy grass and a Quidditch field. He seemed to be playing a pick up game with people from all over the world. He was flying about 70 feet above the heavenly body when he struck some sort of unseen barrier. He fell, tumbling down into oblivion, green lightning bolts hitting him at all angles. He was writhing in pain, and I ran forward, trying to each out and save him; but was held back by a strange force I myself could not describe. As he fell into the abyss, so did my heart into my chest, once I had realized I could do nothing but watch his obvious suffering and death.

Then I woke up, and had to join in on the uncertainty and pain of the real world again. The little gnome of my antique Hogsmeade clock (a gift from Cedric) was broken, unbeknownst to me, so I woke at a quarter to eight. "Snape in his Mum's clothing I thought to myself, almost expecting Cedric to scold me for being "Un-Ladylike." But Cedric was gone, not to return even in the stillness and relative safety of my dreams.

I pulled off my cotton nightgown and slipped into a well-worn pair of jeans. They were torn from countless hours of Quidditch practice, but I figured it would be worth it just to tick Snape off. I reached into my ebony dresser and pulled out my snitch socks. They were made just for me by Dobby, when I ran out of clean socks. Those Slytherin morons, Crabbe and Goyle had been dared to go on a panty raid, but being the buffoons they were and still are; they decided they would steal socks instead, and perhaps not get punished as much. They were caught, of course by Sandra, a muggleborn who set a simple Girl Scout trap by the entrance to the common room when she heard their heavy feet trodding around in our passage of the castle. They were strung upside down for hours. I laughed at the memory. Someone rapped loudly on my door. "Erm... Come in" I called.

It was Remus. He was dressed rather fiendishly from his green bowling shoes to his scarlet flood pants, on to his metallic gold bathrobe and purple fez. "What the Snape in his Mum's clothing?"

"Beg your pardon, Miss Chang?"

"First of all, how many times do I have to say it? Call me Cho! "Second of all," I laughed aloud, "You look like a pimp."

"Snape in his Mum's clothing. I knew I shouldn't have asked Mundungus for muggle fashion advice."

I smiled. "The man wears 50s reject robes. Isn't it obvious he has zip for taste?"

"Yeah, I suppose." he clicked his heals nervously.

"No place like home, is there?" I asked, thinking aloud.

"Judy Garland was great."

"You saw it?"

"Yep."

"No way! How'd you see the Wizard of Oz?"

"Lily dragged the four" he sniffled. I handed him a Kleenex from a box near the door. "Of us to Petunia's school production of it. Trying to culture us, I suppose."

"And to think, despite Lily's noble efforts" I stood, striking a heroic pose "The only culture Peter grew was bacterial."

He laughed. "Yeah. That's why whoever it was put him out of _our_ collective misery." He fidgeted.

"Remus?"

"Erm... yes?" He twirled 

"What ever did happen to Peter?"

"Erm... I don't know," he said, fidgeting about in his seat once more.

That dude has something to hide... What though? I thought to myself. What could _Remus_ of all people have to hide? Other than the werewolf thing...

"Well, Severus is waiting, so let's go. He'll kill or maim us if we don't move fast..." he said, moving towards the fireplace, and grabbing my satchel of the appropriate powder.

"All right." I leaped into the green flames, and reappeared at his side in Snape's quarters. I could tell they had to belong to Snape. Several stone serpents flocked about in the room. "So warm and cozy" I said, sarcastically.

"It's home" Snape said, ushering Remus and myself out of the ancient wooden door and down to the dungeons.

"Take the infusion of Weasleywood and combine it with the appropriate things, while stirring the cauldron slowly. You should know the rest, it's just a simple 6th year potion called Hippocreae. I'm sure even dear Prof. Lupin can manage that," he said snidely, passing a box of ingredients to us.

Remus and I took the two cauldrons in the back and started to produce the potion in silence. Snape has that effect on people, you know?

I sliced my ear of trout and dropped it into my potion lazily, wondering why I couldn't get some other Auror job. Remus answered my question. "Well, you have to walk before you crawl, and Aurors _do_ get hurt a lot, so they need all the healing potion they can get..."

As we talked, we brewed our potions. It made the day go by much faster. It was five minutes until ten and we were talking about comic books (we both loved "Martin Miggs, Mad Muggle") when the knife slipped out of my grasp, and the darkness engulfed me.


	3. Leviticus

**__**

Cho's POV

When I opened my eyes, a pair of emerald green ones stared back at me. "Harry..." I called out, only to have my eyes focus, reveling the simple fact those eyes belonged to a girl with dark red hair. I felt a bit foolish.

"Madame Pomfrey, she's awake," said the girl.

"Miss?" she called, attracting my attention.

"Yes?" I replied.

"What is your name?" she said, trying, I suppose, to be helpful.

"Cho; Cho Chang." I replied, wondering why she hadn't known who I was.

"Pretty name. If you don't mind me asking, how did you get here?"

"Actually, I don't know. Last thing I remember, I was in the dungeons."

"Yes. That is where Severus found you..." interrupted Madame Pomfrey.

"That's strange." I thought to myself, wondering why Madame Pomfrey didn't have quite as many wrinkles as I had remembered... "What's today's date?" I asked. I probably wasn't right, but I needed to put aside my sneaking suspicion.

She looked at me funny, as if I had sprouted wings and turned purple with large brown spots. "November 15th, of course."

"But it was June yesterday...." I thought to myself. "How is this possible?" I thought again, wondering about my theory, and the overwhelming possibility. "And the year?"

"1976." she said, matter-of-factly.

My eyes grew to the size of galleons. "No bloody way!"

She looked at me funny once more. "What'd you think it was, '45?" she said, and then returned to her paperwork.

"Madame, it's simply not possible! This must be a joke! I demand an explanation!" I shouted, expecting the Weasley boys to pop out from behind the pile of bedpans.

"Cho? It's 1976." said the red headed girl, as if it had always been.

"Sure. And I'm Lily Evans." I snapped back.

She stood, confused. "Umn... but I'm Lily Evans."

"Alright. Prove it; let me talk to Prof. Dumbledore." I replied, not wanting to believe her. "It was impossible. I'm not in 1976. It just can't be." Or so I thought.

"Fine." she said, and then sent a quickly scribbled a note to our dear headmaster.

Moments later, I was sitting in the office of none other than the great Albus Dumbledore. "Miss Chang, I presume?"

I didn't even bother to answer his query. Instead, I launched my attack. "I don't know who you think you're kidding. This is not 1976, you are not funny and she" I pointed to the doorway where the redhead stood; is not Lily-bloody-Evans!

"Lily," he spoke softly, "return to the hospital wing. I daresay young Remus will need your assistance after last night's escapades." Lily turned, swishing her long red hair and promptly left.

"Now Miss Chang. I think I may know what has happened to you. You see, when we found you, you were fully drenched in a green slimy substance. That substance, I believe was the exact substance I created with Nicholas Flamel back in sixty-one." he said, his eyes twinkling. "It was the thirteenth use of dragon's blood."

"Thirteenth? Pardon me if I am wrong, but wasn't there only twelve?" I said, and then thought for a minute. Snape had everything firmly drilled into our heads when it came to alchemy. He wouldn't have let me pass if I didn't know that. Yet how could I be right and the most powerful wizard of modern times wrong?

"Yes and no." he replied. "You see, the thirteenth was so powerful that I had Nicholas promise never to tell anyone about it. It has so much potential, time travel," he said, casually munching upon some sweet substance.

"Time travel?" I shouted. "Professor, you have to be kidding me. I'm not three and a half, I know time travel is only possible with a time turner, and even then is only reliable for at the most a couple of hours."

"Oh but it is possible. How else could you be here." he said, then opened the door, revealing an entire hallway full of passing teenagers, many complete with afros and other 70s fashion accidents. Shit. I hate it when that man is right.

"Miss Chang, I trust you can make your self at home until we can send you back. Until then you will be attending classes and telling no one where you came from; understood?" he said, an aura of brilliance surrounding him.

"Yes Professor." replied, and then joined the world of the seventies.


	4. Numbers

**__**

Meanwhile, in the Hospital Wing

"Mr. Lupin is here." the wizened old witch called, as she levitated the wounded boy with her wand. He was shivering, obviously cold from his sudden lack of fur and clothing. Madame Pomfrey helped him dress, while Lily retrieved the extra blankets. Soon, he was covered in fleece and wool, drifting in and out of sleep. As slight as his form, and light as his footsteps, he was very much alive in his heart and eyes. This was particularly evident whenever a certain James Potter came to visit him in the hospital wing. They never hugged or kissed, rarely even spoke. It was simply understood, just was.

Lily was slightly jealous, but she understood. She didn't have much time for a boyfriend anyway; she had a job to do if she was ever going to be the chief of medical staff at St. Mungo's. It was her life's dream to be a doctor; one that didn't change or miss a beat, even after she found out she was a witch. A few details changed, that's all. She wanted to fix things in the world, and she knew that was one of the best ways to do it.

James was in there again, Lily knew. The sound of laughter was a hard one to ignore when one is scrubbing bedpans. She saw his shadow from behind the screen, holding Remus' hand. All the sudden, things got quiet. James bent down, whispering into Remus' ear. Remus spoke softly; Lily didn't hear it at all from the other end of the room, a few short footsteps away.

"So it's true then."

James replied, eyes glued to the floor, "Yes. They're actually going through with it, even after all Ian did. They're going to test me tomorrow, just before I start training. If they find out about you... I... I'm afraid they won't let me in."

Remus was silent, obviously thinking of the implications this would have on both his and his lover's life. He bit his lip and took a deep breath, trying not to cry. "You can't beat the test, can you?"

James took a glance at the man he loved, and the glance was all Remus needed. "Rem, I can't beat the potion they're going to make me take. I can't live my life in fear of Lord Voldemort. I pledged to my father on his deathbed I'd fight them until the last man went down. I've got to be an Auror. As much as I may love you..." James paused, unable to finish.

**__**

Hogwarts, 1995

"Albus, come quickly!" shouted Severus, his voice echoing through out the castle. Severus stormed into the other man's office, "You recommended her, and now she's left, no doubt a spy for Lord Voldemort!"

Remus glanced at Severus, eyebrows raised. "Oh yes, she's going to go tell the men who killed her boyfriend how to go kill _everyone's_ boyfriend."

"Alright then, smart ass, where did she go then, and how?" snapped Severus.

"**Gentlemen!** I was under the impression we had grown beyond or old school rivalries." Albus gave them both a meaningful look. "You both have the best of intentions, but you're both driving me crazy!" Now, if you can behave, I think I know what happened..." the other two wizards crowded closely around him, whispering softly in hushed voices.


End file.
